When I first grew my hair long, ten years ago, I said I would cut it off when I turned 35. This was to avoid looking like a man desperately trying to hang onto his youth, and to raise money for charity at the same time. Apparently it's also made me look like a Wookiee. That, and the fact that I turned 35 ten months ago, means it's time to go ahead with the haircut!

Even then, I knew that I'd want to choose a charity that means a lot to me. As a father myself, I can't begin to imagine what Reuben's family has been through in the last year. Reuben died suddenly, aged 23 months. His family are raising money to build Reuben's Retreat, a place where terminally-ill children can go with their famillies to build precious memories. Their story is truly inspirational, so too is the work that other people have done in fundraising for Reuben's Retreat. I want to follow in their footsteps and help this local charity get a little bit nearer towards their goal.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Let me know if you don't want a thank you posting on facebook. Every thank you can be used as a reminder to get people donating.